Red card for Thomalla
1. FC Heidenheim missed out on the direct promotion places and even first place in the 2nd Bundesliga for the time being and gambled away a more comfortable lead over their pursuers. The third-placed team did not get more than 1-1 (1-1) at Fortuna Düsseldorf on Saturday, but defended their seven-point lead over fourth-placed Paderborn.
The Rhinelanders, on the other hand, who were previously successful at home three times in a row, have probably lost all chances of promotion with a deficit of eight points on the relegation rank. In front of 26,827 spectators in the Düsseldorf Arena, Emmauel Iyoha (27th minute) scored the goal for the hosts, Tim Kleindienst (20th) had initially put Heidenheim in the lead. Guest player Denis Thomalla received a red card for assault (77th).
A week after the 1-0 win in the top game against SV Darmstadt 98, the guests, who had not been defeated in four games, started with just one change. Norman Theuerkauf replaced Marnon Busch in the starting eleven and took over the role in central defensive midfield. Düsseldorf, who are strong at home, put pressure on Ostwuerttemberg early on and had good chances to score through goalscorer Dawid Kownacki (13′) and Emmanuel Iyoha (18′). But with the first attack worth seeing, Kleindienst used Florian Pick’s perfect cross to give Heidenheim the opener. It was the 16th goal of the season for the top second division scorer.
In the varied game, the hosts scored an equalizer through Iyoha after some preliminary work by strong left-back Michal Karbownik. The goal gave coach Daniel Thioune’s team a boost, but in the end Fortuna lacked the penetrating power to defeat the compact defending and tactically disciplined Heidenheimer. The guests also survived the final phase outnumbered after Thomalla received the red card.
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